Pompey's Championship relegation rivals to finally make decision over manager's future
Cardiff City are the only team in the Championship without a permanent manager - but that hasn’t bothered them.
Pompey's Championship rivals Cardiff City appear to have made a decision over the future of their manager.
Omer Riza has been in interim charge of the Bluebirds since the sacking of Erol Bulut towards the end of September. The Welsh outfit have been linked with various different managers, including the likes of Slaven Bilic, Tony Mowbray, Claude Makelele and Ruben Selles.
Riza, though, has transformed Cardiff’s fortunes, and has them unbeaten in five games. The only blemish on his record as caretaker boss is a 4-1 defeat to Hull City which was his first game in charge.
Since then, he's guided them off bottom spot, with that midweek win over Pompey moving them out of the relegation zone. Indeed, his six games in charge have produced three wins, two draws and one defeat, picking up 11 points from a possible 18.
Cardiff and Pompey had been neck-and-neck at the wrong end of the table, with only goal difference separating them prior to last week’s meeting. Now four points separate the rock-bottom Blues and 20th-placed Cardiff.
On the back of that, it now appears that the former Watford coach, who almost signed for Pompey towards the start of the 2000s, will be getting the job on a permanent basis - at least until the end of the season.
Paul Abbandonato, who was formerly the Head of Sport at Wales Online, believes Cardiff will 'stick' with Riza until the end of the campaign. In a tweet on Wednesday night, he said: ‘Think Cardiff are now ready to stick with Riza till end of season, giving him extended chance to prove himself.
‘Bilic always an option in new year if things start to go wrong. If so is it right call? Not sure, but the players clearly like him & good coaches could come in to help.’
Cardiff have been in this position before. Former Leeds United and Norwich City striker Steve Morison was handed the reins when Mick McCarthy departed, after being promoted from his role as under-21s coach. Riza has proved popular among the players at Cardiff, with Jak Alnwick admitting that the players are ‘fully behind’ the former Arsenal academy striker.
He has also given former Pompey midfielder Alex Robertson an extended run in the side. Robertson chose a move to South Wales over a return to Fratton Park this summer, and since Riza’s appointment, he has started in every single Championship match.